In a relatively short period, English has risen to become the world’s dominant cultural language, whether you’re talking about books, movies, plays, or anything else involving language and culture. But as American influence and economic dominance wanes around the world, will other dominant cultures begin to assert themselves? Or might a return to local culture actually be a possibility?
Author: sbergman
Hayek To Become Latin Film Impresario
“Mexican-born actress Salma Hayek has formed a production company which aims to promote films with Latino themes and talent to a mass audience… She will be the chief executive of Ventanazul, which will release between two and four movies per year” in conjunction with MGM.
Ashkenazy To Take Over Sydney Symphony
The Sydney Symphony has hired Russian-born pianist and conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy to be its next chief conductor, beginning in 2009. “Ashkenazy is music director of the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo and the European Union Youth Orchestra,” and has other engagements around the world, leading some to wonder how much time he will be able to spend in Australia.
Avery Fisher Grants Announced
“The Borromeo String Quartet, violinist Yura Lee and double bassist DaXun Zhang have been named winners of the 2007 Avery Fisher Career Grants, worth $25,000 each… Up to five Career Grants are given each year to U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents.”
RSNO Leader Takes A Few Parting Shots
The concertmaster of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra is retiring after a remarkable 34-year tenure, and on his way out the door, he has a few choice words for those in charge of the ensemble he has called his own for so many years. “Paling’s criticisms, which sound like an indictment of the organisation, boil down to this: successive principal conductors were interested only in their own concerts, in what was going on in their own backyard… Matters of artistic policy and the direction of orchestral development were of no interest to them. Everything became, in that sense, short term. Therefore, any long-range strategy or structure was scarcely tenable. There was no artistic head of the RSNO.”
iPods For Everyone!
Sales of Apple’s ubiquitous iPod rocketed past the 100 million mark this week. 21 million units were sold during the 2006 Christmas season alone.
Venezuela’s Remarkable “El Sistema”
Lost in the considerable buzz surrounding Gustavo Dudamel’s ascension to the music directorship of the LA Philharmonic is the story behind the maestro’s stunningly rapid ascent to the top of his profession. His appointment in California “marked another success for a pioneering programme in Venezuela that offers children from the slums a route out of poverty and crime through a classical music education.”
LA Beat Chicago To The Punch With Dudamel Hire
The LA Philharmonic apparently hired its new music director, Gustavo Dudamel, right out from under the nose of the Chicago Symphony, where the young Venezuelan appeared last week as a guest conductor. “[Chicago’s] backstage was jumping with well-wishers, agents, heads of other orchestras and the CSO’s own musicians as it hadn’t since Daniel Barenboim’s farewell concerts or Georg Solti’s retirement as music director. The Internet was abuzz and speculation was rife that the CSO might be able to work out some arrangement with Dudamel.”
An Explosive Musician
A horn player in New Zealand’s Christchurch Symphony has been arrested and charged with possession of illegal military-grade explosives. “Police say the cache included five military flares, two anti-personnel mines, eight sticks of Powergel and two cans of black powder.”
Rehabilitating Sibelius
“Sibelius was once the world’s favourite composer but, thanks to German fascist admirers, his star waned after his death.” In recent years, the Finnish composer’s reputation has had much of its luster restored, thanks largely to a series of Nordic conductors specializing in his work, but Sibelius is still rarely placed alongside masters like Beethoven and Mozart in the musical canon. Some believe it’s time for that to change.